Love's Not Part of the Plan
by barefootwits
Summary: What can Hannibal do about Face's broken heart? Hannibal/Face slash!


Yes, I'm most definitely in love with The A-Team since I saw the film two days ago, twice so far. Oh yes. And yes, I slashed them all. 3 This fic is in response to this prompt: _Before the team got the mission to Baghdad, Face was hit pretty hard by Sosa's visit. What if Hannibal went looking for the team, but found Face breaking down instead? How might Hannibal react? (Come on, the guy shot a *total stranger* just so he could reach Face in time. Give me something good, here!) _I'm excited and proud of it. Some parts reference facts from the tv-show, like Face's past. Reviews and con-crit are awesome! _  
_

* * *

Hannibal had just gone to speak with Morrison. He'd left his team lounging around, and expected to find them the same way. For the most part, he did. BA was pouring all of his attention into a motorbike, frowning severely, and Murdock had just started to serve up his hell-burnt steaks onto plates. Hannibal scanned over their little spot, stopping at the mini pool and lounge chair that were now abandoned.

"Where is Face?"

Murdock met his CO's gaze and gave a shrug, though he didn't look entirely happy. "His girl Sosa showed up whilst you were away."

Hannibal's eyebrows shot up, and then furrowed. A specific morning several years ago played through his head, and he could tell it was doing the same with Murdock and BA when they looked up from their activities to watch their leader's reaction.

_Face showed up from nowhere at their home in the middle of nowhere, when they'd all expected him to be gone for a while. He didn't talk to them, not for over a week. Blocked the world out by training. Pushed himself until he couldn't take it, and almost shot himself. ("It was an accident, Boss.") Then he was back. Just broken a little worse than when Hannibal had found him._

"What did she say to him?" Hannibal asked, stooping to pick up the crushed beer can floating in the tiny pool. He could tell just how hard Face had squeezed it.

"As much as Facey loves eavesdropping, I didn't think I should," Murdock explained. Hannibal knew it wasn't that Murdock hadn't listened to the conversation, but that Murdock's retellling of it would be warped and the pilot probably felt that it was Face's business to tell Hannibal anyway. But Murdock did wave a fork with a black steak on the end to the right, knocking off his baseball cap in the process. "The prince went that-a-way after the witch flew away on her broom."

"That Sosa's a fool," BA grumbled, and shook his head. "Poor Face."

A bad feeling settled over Hannibal. They had all watched Face go through some of the worst shit totally unaffected. Their Face was damn good at making situations laughable. He couldn't be torn apart that way. It wasn't an act with Face, either. The kid had his heart open for the world to see and it didn't get hurt because his pretty face always had that 'you-couldn't-hurt-me-if-you-tried' grin on. When Face got hurt, it was because he'd hurt himself. Because another thing he was good at was not thinking or planning ahead.

There was no way Face could have planned on getting his heart broken.

Murdock didn't say anything more. BA handed him back his cap and he went back to taking their food off the grill, singing in Spanish.

Hannibal went along the way Murdock had indicated. He lit up a cigar, but only took one puff on it before he turned around one of the tents and found who he was looking for. Two slender tan legs were all that was visible of Face at his distance, but as Hannibal walked closer, the whole Face came into view. He was sitting in between a pile of crates and the back of a van, fiddling with the bandage around his forearm.

He didn't even look up at Hannibal. Not even when the older man crouched in front of him.

"Hey, kid."

"Hey, Boss."

Face's voice was low and heavy. Hannibal couldn't help reaching over to rumple his hair.

"Want to tell me what you're feeling?"

After a sigh, Face finally looked up at his friend. His expression was so forcibly blank that it made part of Hannibal angry.

"You and the guys are the only ones who have ever cared about what I feel," Face said, and it was a 'thanks, Hannibal, for being here.'

Hannibal started rubbed soothing little circles with his fingers through Face's blonde-ish locks.

"Let it out, Face."

Face bit his lip, then let his head thunk back against the van. Hannibal's hand blunted the impact.

"No one gets to me like she does. She expected me to be something, and when I wasn't, when I was loyal, she went and bailed. And it still fucking kills me, Hannibal. It's not just because she left, but because I couldn't act like it was only another person I got to have and then didn't want anymore. I wanted her. I was falling in love with her."

Hannibal caught the annoyed glint that darted through Face's eyes. Annoyance at himself, for letting love be something that happened to him and be the thing that hurt him. Hannibal felt the same twinge of annoyance a second later.

Face covered his eyes with one hand. "It was so easy for her to walk away," he mumbled. "Seems to be a reoccuring trait in people in my life."

Face had never outright spoken about his parents leaving him at an orphanage. It made the anger in Hannibal build. Anger at Sosa, for being the one person who drove Face to think about painful memories like that.

"Her fondest memory of me was leaving me."

Hannibal tossed his unsmoked cigar away. "She said that to you?"

When Face nodded, Hannibal pulled him forward into a strong embrace, that Face just relaxed into. Normally Face got uneasy when people were overly touchy with him, but not when it was any of his team. They were the comfort he always accepted entirely, no complaints, no reluctance.

"I'm such a chickenshit," Face murmured, stifled, into Hannibal's shoulder.

Hannibal could feel Face's small grin, and his own wane smirk worked its way onto his face, just to disappear when Face let out a heartbreaking laugh and pulled away to stand.

"Are Murdock's steaks ready?" He asked, and he pulled a rag from his pocket, seemingly to wipe sweat off his face. Hannibal knew it wasn't sweat. Face knew he knew, but neither of them let on, and when Hannibal rose, he popped a new cigar in his mouth and grinned around it.

"Just the way you like them."

"No secret sauce, right?" Face joked, and when he stuffed his rag back into his pocket, he was grinning too, but his eyes were a tiny bit red. If BA or Murdock asked, as they were bound to, Face would say that his suntanning goggles were a piece of shit.

Hannibal walked behind Face as they went back to eat.

Face didn't plan to fall in love and have his heart broken. Neither did Hannibal. But his heart hurt because every time he looked at Face, he knew it wasn't a plan that would come through.


End file.
